XEROSTOMIA AND HEPATITIS-C VIRUS - A SJOG REN LIKE SYNDROME

These last years, different virus have been incriminated in the etiopa thogeny of the primary-Sjogren's syndrome and more particularly the he patitis C virus. We have led a prospective study over 23 patients pres enting a primary. Sjogren's syndrome, searching for a sign of infectio n by the hepatitis C virus and over 23 patients presenting an active c hronic hepatitis C virus searching for a Gougerot-Sjogren syndrome. Th e overcoming of the hepatitis C virus in the Sjogren group was 4.7% wh ich was not significatively higher than in our sample of population. P arallelly, the search of the Sjogren's syndrome, in the hepatitis C vi rus group, found 4 patients (feminine, average age 48.5 years old) who se clinical board was compatible with this diagnostic. Antinuclear ant ibodies have not been found in any of the 23 patients. The lymphocytic typing of the infiltrate in the minor salivary glands biopsies showed a predominance of the CD8 lymphocytes in a proportion of 2/1, contras ting with what is observed in primary Sjogren's syndrome. We concluded that hepatitis C virus may be more associated with a chronic lymphocy tic sialadenitis than an authentic primary Sjogren's syndrome.